Nogle, Rosaleen

Rosaleen Nogle has worked for the past seven and a half years, she has served in a variety of engineering, management, strategic planning, and regulatory compliance roles at the Buffalo Sewer Authority. Prior to this, she spent seven years employed by Erie County in the Division of Sewerage Management and Department of Health. Ms. Nogle possesses licenses and is registered to practice Professional Engineering in New York and six other states. She is the New York State Water Environment Associations Collection System Committee Chairperson, WEF Delegate, and a member of the Board of Directors.

Titles from this speaker

Operationalizing Equity in Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) Planning: Case Study of the Buffalo Sewer Authority

Abstract

The Buffalo Sewer Authority (The Authority), established in 1935 as a New York State public benefit corporation, is tasked with alleviating pollution in the Niagara River, Buffalo River, and Lake Erie caused by the discharge of city's sewage and waste. It aimed to address insufficient sanitary and stormwater drainage by constructing the Bird Island WWTP in 1938, followed by secondary treatment facilities in 1980, aligned with the Clean Water Act. Covering around 850 miles, the Authority's collection system consists of 790 miles of combined sewers and 60 miles of storm sewers, including 52 permitted combined overflows. In the 1990s, regulatory changes prompted the Authority to develop a combined system overflow (CSO) abatement plan. The first Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) was submitted to NYSDEC and US EPA in 2004. After prolonged negotiations, in 2012 an Administrative Order from the US EPA mandated an updated LTCP. Although the LTCP of 2014 was approved, subsequent adjustments were made to the collection system hydraulic model after the initial LTCP phase. This led to revised simulations indicating unfeasibility of certain LTCP projects and optimization potential for others, birthing new selected alternatives. Since the adoption of the LTCP, shifting priorities in outcomes for and impact on communities has become key considerations in planning. Federal expectations aligning funding with environmental justice, as well as the City's emphasis on social, economic and environmental equity have guided the Authority's capital and operating projects. As a result, the LTCP implementation schedule prioritizes benefits for Buffalo communities with an emphasis on communities that have been historically underserved and overburdened. Several factors were used to create a framework to prioritize projects with these equity considerations: SPP Overflow Volume Rank; Water Body Ranking; SPP Project Rank; Construction Priority, CSO Cost Effectiveness, and environmental justice . When assessing environmental justice factors, vital queries emerged: how do we identify equity gaps in the community? What analysis resources are available? Several resources, including the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, City of Buffalo Rain Check 2.0 Equity Index, EPA EJ Screen, and NYS Potential EJ Areas, were explored to evaluate equity and environmental justice consideration. Collaborative efforts between the consultant team and the Authority honed in on critical factors and established parameters. As a result, a comprehensive set of metrics was chosen, culminating in a disadvantaged community map onto which project locations were plotted to assess their rankings. The approach to ranking calculation differed for Green Infrastructure (GI) Projects and Other Projects (OLS, RTC, ILS, SPP Modifications). For GI projects, the disadvantage ranking derived from a weighted average of census tracts with GI projects. Conversely, for other projects, a quarter-mile radius buffer zone around each project gauged its influence area, with the project's disadvantage ranking being based on the highest-ranking census tract within the buffer zone. Analyzing the distribution of project disadvantage rankings revealed that 67% of the 51 projects exhibited a ranking greater than 4, predominantly located in the southern city areas. Meanwhile, 24% of projects had rankings between 2 and 4, and 9% possessed rankings below or equal to 2, characterizing less vulnerable neighborhoods. Conclusively, evaluating disadvantage rankings provided valuable insights into project effects on disadvantaged communities, which will help the Authority to create targeted community engagement and promote an equitable implementation of projects.

This case study highlights the strategic approach of the Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) in integrating equity considerations into their Long-Term Control Plan, now called the Queen City Clean Waters initiative. Focusing on disadvantaged communities, BSA aims to address water quality concerns & maximize project benefits for underserved communities. This session explores the methods for project prioritization to address environmental justice concerns & the strategies for stakeholder engagement.

SpeakerMugisha, Nadia

Presentation time

15:30:00

15:45:00

Session time

15:30:00

16:30:00

SessionCommunity-based Approach to Generate Equitable and Just Outcomes through Infrastructure Planning

Session number225

Session locationRoom 354

TopicDiversity, Equity & Inclusion, Stormwater and Green Infrastructure, Water Equity and ESG

Author(s)

Mugisha, Nadia, Nogle, Rosaleen, Riley, Karyn

Author(s)N. Mugisha1, R.B. Nogle2, K. Riley3

Author affiliation(s)1Arcadis, NY, 2Buffalo Sewer Authority, NY, 3Arcadis US, MD

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2024

DOI10.2175/193864718825159485

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count17

Rethinking Buffalo Sewer's CSO Long Term Control Plan

Abstract

As Buffalo Sewer prepares for its second decade of implementation of the approved Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan (LTCP), results of a recalibrated hydraulic model, updated Financial Capability Assessment, a cost-benefit analysis of early projects, a deeper understanding of the existing system's design, and increasing recognition of issues of environmental justice and implications of systemic racism and climate change have all driven a re-evaluation of how to achieve the goals of the LTCP while also building a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient city. Buffalo Sewer's approved 2014 LTCP made use of innovative strategies with a focus on Green Infrastructure and Real Time Controlled Smart Sewers. As we move forward into the next phase of the LTCP, we are learning how to implement Green Infrastructure in a more sustainable and maintainable way that also addresses long-standing disinvestment in the existing increasingly aged collection system. We are also finding new and innovative ways to implement Real Time Controlled Smart Sewer technology to take advantage of opportunities created by the historical design of our collection system and the disinvestment in redlined neighborhoods while also creating visible community benefits and simplifying maintenance. This presentation will review the development of the approved LTCP and its components. It will also review the projects completed under that plan and implementation issues experienced to date. It will also discuss how the recalibrated model has impacted the viability of the 2014 LTCP and its components. Additionally, the historical, economic, and climatic conditions of Buffalo and the resultant opportunities, risks, and restrictions that they create will be discussed. Finally, the updated LTCP will be presented. Currently, the updated Financial Capability Analysis is under review with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with final approval expected in late 2021. The Model Recalibration is also under ongoing review by the regulators with approval expected in mid-Fall 2021. Six traditional Smart Sewer Projects have been completed, three additional traditional projects are in bidding or construction phases, and a final project which implements Smart Sewer technology at an existing pumping station is poised to go into operation by October 2021. Three additional traditional Smart Sewer projects have been identified for design during the 2022 Calendar Year, in addition, two next generation Smart Sewer projects have been identified for design during this same period, and several of the projects currently in design and implementation represent a global implementation strategy rather than a more traditional CSO or even waterbody specific strategy. Similarly, on the Green Infrastructure front, RainCheck 1.0 has been completed and it has become increasingly clear that while the demolition of vacant and abandoned homes has created vast swaths of new green space throughout large tracts of Buffalo at limited cost to Buffalo Sewer, the opportunity for further demolitions is limited and at the same time, bioretention cells within the public right of way are costly to construct and maintain and other green infrastructure techniques are more sustainable and create opportunities for other co-benefits without negatively impacting long-term residents in disinvested neighborhoods.

This paper was presented at the WEF Collection Systems Conference in Detroit, Michigan, April 19-22.

SpeakerNogle, Rosaleen

Presentation time

13:30:00

14:00:00

Session time

13:30:00

16:30:00

Session number10

Session locationHuntington Place, Detroit, Michigan

TopicLong Term Control Planning, real-time control, Smart Data Infrastructure

Author(s)